Closure of cantina said to foster prostitution praised

Cantina's closure celebratedNeighborhood groups say the bar was a hot spot for prostitution and drug dealers

RON NISSIMOV, Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, August 25, 2004

A predominantly Hispanic neighborhood that wants to shut down scores of cantinas claimed its first victory Tuesday, announcing that a cantina owner who lost his liquor license in April gave up his appeal and closed his business.

"This is really a celebration," Councilman Adrian Garcia said during a news conference next to the Blo-N-Go, a cantina on Houston's near north side that was shut down Aug. 15 by its owner.

"It's about a community revitalizing itself; it's about a community in action, a community taking control of what rightfully belongs to them," said Garcia, who worked with community organizations to close the bar because it allegedly fostered activities such as drug dealing and prostitution.

In April, Harris County Judicial Master Doug Adkinson declined to renew the establishment's liquor license. He wrote that his decision was "based on the general welfare, health, peace, morals, safety and sense of decency of the people."

Adkinson said police had been called to the location 30 times in two years, and a cantina employee had recently been charged with serving alcohol to an intoxicated person.

Robert Kennedy, Blo-N-Go owner, initially appealed to Harris County Judge Robert Eckels. The business was allowed to stay open while the appeal was pending.

But Kennedy decided to drop the appeal and close, said his attorney, Casey Wallace. One of the conditions of the agreement was that city officials would not make a public announcement for at least a week, he said.

Wallace said the effort to revoke the liquor license "was a portion of (Kennedy's) thought process" that led to the closing. But he said the main reason was that Kennedy had operated the Blo-N-Go for 31 years, and "it was time to close it down."

Kennedy is "an honest, taxpaying, law-abiding citizen" who was never accused of a crime or condoning illegal activities in the cantina, Wallace said. He added that the Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission did not recommend the revocation of the liquor license.

Kennedy, whose home abuts the Blo-N-Go in the 700 block of Paschall, could not be reached for comment.